The light blasts through the wet air and burns a hole on the black road. The eyes find it and strain to see the lattice of cracks and debris washing up at the edge of light and dark. For the next hour this pinhole of light is all that matters.

The route we have planned is a challenging one. We’re heading straight out for the hills. The train of riders stretches long down the road as we twist and turn our way out of the city toward the first climb of the day. It seems like only a few kilometres have passed before an 18% climb bares its teeth.

Rapha’s developers spend three hours with each rider, working their way through every aspect of the rider’s needs and preferences. We caught up with Nico as he trained with the team in Mallorca to ask him about his kit, the fit, and his plans for the year ahead.

A 4:45am start is not how most people choose to begin a Sunday morning. Nevertheless, there was no shortage of enthusiasm as riders gathered in the Melbourne CBD at that time on Sunday 11 January 2015 to ride the 130km together to Buninyong for the Australian Men’s Road Race National Championship.